Drum cradle



July 26, 1949. w, wlLLlAMS I 2,477,278

DRUM CRADLE Filed June 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E" j I I 9 WITNESSES INVENTOR- iflllmmflilwmms;

July 26; 1949.

w. A. WILLIAMS DRUM CRADLE Filed June 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m m w N 1 Manama Wmmm; W W

ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 26,1949 I 2,477,278;

zs i s DRUM CRADLE;

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x nliiw heeei ra e Q; elevatin n pqsie a -t e 22 ins drum er 194%?1591 F15;

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Other objects and advantages fiat actefizin g 1E9 9;" Q5? 33%? my invention, inelnding. sjmpligity of manufaca, -S Q i "tubular Pn. 5 15 JQIILQQ, ture any} assembly of the ggn stituent elements, L a. 199K115??? t-.m$.li w ll ee q a n rom tlgggg r ptjgfi gate 50 9WR. meet s sa a .m E 7- :T e matte; set forth of one embqqjgnent or exafiple lsxgyps t9; aq opa mpdate a handle. H- of the invention, having ejfierenge. to tne mi mfia l mounted thereinpanying drawings whereof:

, asset slot l2; extends con "P e. 1 t pi s a side e leyati on o; a Qgnm anywa inom amend: of the housingatofth'e cradle of my invention showing the cradle as 'ap- 515 0&3? s gmitm z a Bfiafiflfifi therethmu h 0i a thin fiat hook-shaped piece 13 which is integrally joined to the handle between the ends thereof.

Desirably the cradle frame is equipped with spaced pairs of wheels l4, I5. In the illustrated example of the invention the wheels H! are mounted on an axle l6, whereas the wheels are journalled within the cradle frame beneath a transverse member i1.

As shown in Fig. 6, the handle ll consists of a tubular bar having a fiat piece [8 attached to its inner end serving as an abutment which is adapted to engage the inner end of the tubular housing 9 and thus to limit outward movement of the handle. The hook I3 is so designed that when a drum is in contact with the front faces of the transverse bars I it can be brought into engagement with the chime at the upper drum head, in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and'2, causing the drum to be firmly gripped and held against the cradle frame. The handle H is rigidly aligned within the tubular housing so that it may act as a lever for effecting any desired movement of the cradle. It is also capable of being removed from the cradle frame in which event it may be applied separately to a drum in the manner shown in Fig. 5-, and used as an upending lever, or for inclining a drum, or for accomplishing various other movements, especially where the weight of the drum and its contents does not require the use of the cradle.

The operation of the drum cradle is extremely simple. In turning a drum from a vertical to a horizontal position in order to drain the contents the cradle is first advanced to a position, as shown in Fig. 1, in which the spaced prongs 8 abut against the lower drum head at opposite sides thereof and the hook MS of the handle is brought into engagement with the chime at the upper drum head in the vicinity of the fitting 2. After applying the spigot 3 the operator grasps the handle ll pulling it towards himself while bearing down with one foot against the wheel axle it. As the drum is tilted and when it reaches an angle of about fifteen degrees from its original vertical position and before the drum is completely lifted from the ground, the prongs engage under the chime at the lower drum head so that they support the weight of the drum. With further tilting of the cradle the drum moves into snug engagement with the transverse bars I and the drum is thereafter fully supported by the cradle as the turning movement proceeds about the rocker members 5. Thus all of the steps of coupling the drum to the cradle and turning these elements through an angle are performed as a single continuous operation which can be effected with ease by a single operator. Moreover, the cradle frame 4 is so designed and the drum so balanced thereon that the above described movements do not require great strength and may be performed quickly and smoothly. When the drum is in the horizontal position it can be transported from one location to another by wheeling the frame using the handle I l in its extended position for guiding and steering it. With the drum in position for drainage the handle II is first withdrawn from engagement with the drum, then turned within its housing 9 until the hook l3 registers with the slot 12, and then retracted inwardly towards the cradle until it assumes the housed position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. In its retracted position the handle is clear of the drum head so that it does not interfere with the operation of draining the contents into a receptacle placed beneath the spigot 3. In an obvious manner by a reversal of the above described operations the drum may be returned to a vertical position. 5 It will be noted that by setting the handle H in the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the hook l3 abuts against the outer end of the housing 9, the cradle by itself may be wheeled from place to place. A pulling force applied to the handle H will not dislodge it but will merely cause the stop ill to abut against the inner face of the housing 9. Similarly when a drum is carried on V the cradle the handle H may be used to push or pull the cradle as well as to steer the same, all of which can be accomplished by one hand of the operator.

Although, as mentioned above, it is possible to remove the handle II from the cradle frame 4 by sliding it inwardly through the tubular housing 9 and withdrawing it from the opposite end of the frame, under ordinary circumstances the handle is retained within the cradle frame in association with the housing 9, it being unnecessary to dislodge it to accomplish any of the operations of rocking or transporting a drum, and therefore the handle is unlikely to become mislaid through any inadvertence on the part of the operator.

It will be seen that a cradle frame constructed as described and illustrated herein can be very cheaply manufactured and yet may be used to accomplish a variety of purposes. Such a frame avoids the use of any parts which are difficult to assemble or are apt to get out of order. It may be readily adapted to fit a drum of any size or to handle other similar objects. Moreover, such a cradle frame may be used to advantage with or without the provision of wheels.

Although I have described a specific example of the invention by reference to one embodiment which I prefer to use, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the form of the cradle or the handle, including modifications with respect to the type of housing with which the handle cooperates, all

without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A drum cradle comprising a skeleton rocker frame including longitudinal drum supporting members joined by a transverse bar, said bar being curved to conform generally to the cross-sectlonal shape of a drum, an axially slotted handle housing disposed longitudinally within said skeleton rocker frame, an operating handle mounted in said slotted handle housing with capacity for rotary and axial movement, and a chime-engaging element integrally mounted on said operating handle to cooperate with said slot in said handle housing to allow said handle to be housed in said skeleton rocker frame.

WILLIAM A. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

